ITAHARI: Nearly a month after floods and landslides caused significant loss of life and property, the Koshi Provincial Government has finally awakened to action. The government has begun focusing on relief and reconstruction following the devastating floods and landslides triggered by continuous rainfall on September 28-29.
A meeting of the province cabinet recently decided to set up a repair and reconstruction fund of Rs 400 million.
According to province government spokesperson and Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Lilaballabh Adhikari, all ministries will contribute 10% of their current expenditure budget allocations from provincial government and fiscal equalization grant sources, excluding non-reducible amounts, to the fund. “Ministers will contribute 10 days of their salary to the fund, while Members of Parliament will be requested to contribute through their respective parties,” he said. “Government employees and other stakeholders will also be encouraged to contribute.”
Minister Adhikari reported that floods and landslides caused over Rs 4 billion rupees in damage to roads, bridges, irrigation systems, buildings and schools across the province.
Former administrator and political analyst Krishna Pokharel said the focus should be on proactive disaster preparedness. “Government agencies must be proactive in dealing with natural disasters. When the state reaches victims immediately with relief, it builds public trust,” said Pokharel. “The response is already about a month late. We need to develop a mindset to prevent such delays in the future.”
While Pokharel welcomed the decision to create a reconstruction fund, he stressed the importance of advance preparation. “Immediate relief is essential for disaster victims,” he said. “The best approach is to learn from this incident and ensure quick response in the future.”
Koshi Province’s Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Bhupendra Rai said the province government has completed the damage assessment across the 14 districts. “The damage to infrastructure has been estimated at Rs 4.635 billion,” he added.
According to Rai, Rs 1.025 billion will be needed to restore partially damaged infrastructure, while Rs 3.61 billion is required for fully damaged infrastructure.
Urgent repairs are needed for 60 roads, 15 road bridges, and 17 suspension bridges, he added.
“We have already begun reconstruction in some areas,” said Rai. “Most damage to roads and bridges has occurred in hilly districts.”
